Apparatus for repulverizing a compressed plug



May 11, 1965 J. DANIELS 3,182,920

APPARATUS FOR REPULVERISZNG A COMPRESSED PLUG Filed May 22, 1963 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F, 2 INVENTOR.

JOSEPH DAN/5L5 BY @w/ 6 W fiz's men/2431 The object of the present invention is an apparatus for continuous transfer of a finely divided solid material,

particularly a fuel, from a space under ordinary pressure into a space prevailing under increased pressure, which space is used for a subsequent treatment, preferably for the gasification of the fuel in suspension in oxygen or oxygen-enriched air.

Apparatus are known in which the space prevailing under different pressures are sealed from one another by maintaining in a conduit-like passageway between the spaces a gas-impermeable sealing plug formed by comv.pression of the powdered fuel which is to be gasified;

and sliding said plug into the space prevailing under increased pressure.

The apparatus for a high-pressure gasification process in accordance with this invention makes it .possible to inject as a jet into a gasification space maintained at in creased temperature the compressed plug which, after entrance into the high pressure space, continuously becomes a reloosened mass in the form of a homogeneous suspension offinely divided solid fuel in oxygen or oxygen- .containing gas (air).

United States Patent The apparatus of this invention provides an improvement wherein the axial plane of a shaft equipped with a conical or pear-shaped grinding head, which is placed on the free end of the shaft and which serves for repulverizing the compressed plug, intersects the longitudinal axial plane of two equiaxial, opposite compressing cylinders in the vicinity of thehub portion of: the grinding head. The shaft for the grinding head is loosely mounted .in; known manner on the front discharge end for the material and is fastened at the back in two outside bearings, and its axial motion is limited.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the horizontal compressing pistons engaging on the outer free ends of the compressing cylinders, located in mutual longitudinal axial direction, are fastened in block-like mounting fixtures which are connected with both upwardly raised ends of the head of a slide which moves back and forth corresponding to the stroke of the compressing piston. The lower surface of the slide rests on a guide means. The slide is given the desired motion by an eccentric gear which is installed in the lower space of the V scribed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a general plan View, and

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal section.

Referring to FIG. 1, the fuel, for example, powdered coal, is supplied from one or more bunkers (not illustrated) to distributing means it and 10', respectively. It then passes through slide means for sealingthe charging openings installed at 11, ll respectively (as are used for example in briquetting presses), and alternately into the compressing cylinders 12 and 12., respectively. The compressing pistons 13, 13', which are firmly fastened in blocks 14 and 14, respectively, engage in these compressing cylinders. Blocks 14 and 14' are in turn connected with the raised ends 15 and 15' on the headof the slide means, or support member 16. The lower sur- A new plug is formed with each stroke.

3,182,920 Patented Why 11, 1%65 'ice face of the slide means, or support member 16 rests on guide or base 17 and undergoes a back and forth motion by means of an eccentric gear (not shown) installed in a counter-pressure ram in housing 19. This grinding head again finely pulverizes the end of the plug and conveys the powdered material in the direction of an an nular nozzle for oxygen, in order to inject the rcpowdered gasification material with compressed oxygen or oxygenenriched air from the discharge 20 into a space (not illustrated) which prevails under increased pressure and also under high temperature in the case of gasification of fuels.

The grindinghead is placed on shaft 21 The two bearings of the shaft 21 are indicated by 22"and 23 and the gear wheel for the shaft is indicated by 24.

For accurate synchronization of the amount of mate rial to the capacities of the compressing pistons, grinding head, and injector, and infinitely variable, regulable gear (not illustrated) is provided between the shaft 2-1 of the grinding head and the shaft 25 of the main drive (not pistons is metered so that a number of these plugs are constantly present in the cylinders. These. plugs form the seal of the spaces prevailing under different pressures. The plug which is adjacent to the grinding head is pressed against this head and is pulverized. Both the grinding head, or triturating member 30 as well as the housing 19 of the grinding head are provided with grooves. 31, 32, respectively, in the vicinity of the compressing cylinders. Diverse designs of these grooves are possible. Care should be taken, however, that the angle and groove sizes of the counter-operating grooves never become narrower but always become evenly but gradually wider, so that the transportation of the coal which is ground from the coal plugs proceeds without resistance in an increasing volume corresponding to the grinding operation, but that a pulverization does not occur to'such an extent that the coal would be deposited freely and would be detrimental to the continuity of the coal material.

Compressed oxygen or oxygen-enriched air flows from annular nozzle 33, entrains the finely ground coal, and injects it through the progressively wider annular slit 34, and discharge 2% of the housing 19 of the grinding head into the space which prevails. tinder increased pressure and which serves for the subsequent treatment.

Spaces 35 and 35' of the compressing cylinders 12 and 12', respectively, as well as space 36 of the housing 19 for the grinding head serve for water cooling. The grinding head 30 is also hollow for the purpose of cooling with water. The cooling water is introduced through the shaft 21 of the grinding head. Shaft 21 is constructed as a hollow shaft inside pipes.

' The shaft 21 of the grinding head is mounted loosely in the vicinity of the grinding and injecting apparatus with elimination of bearings and stuffing boxes Which produce heat of friction. Shaft 21 is mounted only in the two outside bearings 22 and 23. An annular leaf spring 37, a thrust ball bearing 38, and a counter support 39 for the leaf spring are provided in order to keep the shaft axially movable in a limited amount.

Back flow of oxygen inside the coal passageway is not possible in the apparatus conforming to the present invention, since a substantial excess of coal constantly remains both in the compressing cylinders as well as in the space around the grinding head. Thus, conditions for formation of a combustible or explosive mixture do not exist.

Another advantage of the novel apparatus of this invention, in contrast to known apparatus of similar type, is that dead spaces unfilled with an excess of coal are omitted between the zone containing the compressed plugs and the injection zone; thus volumes of explosive gas resulting from backflows of oxygen are prevented in empty spaces which are at ignition temperature and have a direct ignition contact with the hot gasification space.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for transferring finely divided solid material from a space under atmospheric pressure to a space under supera-tmospheric pressure comprising:

(a) a triturating member mounted on a shaft journaled for rotation about a first axis;

(b) an annular member disposed around and fixed relative to said triturating member, said triturating member and said annular member having therein countercooperating grooves forming cutting edges dispersed on the respective adjacent surfaces of said triturating member and said annular member;

(0) a pair of axially aligned cylinders communicating with said annular member and disposed so that the common axes of said cylinders perpendicularly intersects said first axis;

(d) pistons reciprocably disposed in said cylinders;

(e) means to rotate said triturating member;

(f) means to introduce finely divided material into said cylinders for action thereon by said pistons;

(g) means operatively linking said pistons for alternately reciprocating said pistons toward said rotating 4 triturating member whereby said material is alternately compressed in said cylinders, is moved toward said cutting edges and threeby triturated; and

(It) means to conduct said triturated material away from said annular space.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein:

(a) said reciprocable pistons are operatively linked to a slidable member adapted to reciprocate along a path generally parallel to the common axes of said cylinders.

3. An apparatus for transferring finely divided solid material from a space under atmospheric pressure to a space under superatmospheric pressure comprising:

(a) a shaft journaled for rotation about a first axis;

(b) a rotatable triturating member mounted to said shaft;

(0) an annular member disposed around and fixed relatively to said triturating member, said triturating member and annular member having therein countercooperative grooves forming cutting edges dispersed on the respective adjacent surfaces of said triturating and annular members;

(d) a base disposed relative to said shaft;

(0) a pair of axially aligned cylinders fixed to and communicating with said annular member and disposed generally perpendicul-ar to said first axis;

(1) pistons reciprocably disposed in each cylinder;

(g) means to introduce finely divided material into said cylinders whereby said material is acted upon by said pistons;

(h) -a support member operatively linking said pistons and mounted slidably on said base; and

(1') means to reciprocate said support member whereby said pistons alternately reciprocate and said material is compressed in said cylinders and advanced toward the rotating triturating member and triturated.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,757,031 5/30 Whitcomb 241282 X 2,621,083 12/52 Daniels 24160X J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING FINELY DIVIDED SOLID MATERIAL FROM A SPACE UNDER ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE TO A SPACE UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE COMPRISING: (A) A TRITURATING MEMBER MOUNTED ON A SHAFT JOURNALED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A FIRST AXIS, (B) AN ANNULAR MEMBER DISPOSED AROUND AND FIXED RELATIVE TO SAID TRITURATING MEMBER, SAID TRITURATING MEMBER AND SAID ANNULAR MEMBER HAVING THEREIN COUNTERCOOPERATING GROOVES FORMING CUTTING EDGES DISPERSED ON THE RESPECTIVE ADJACENT SURFACES OF SAID TRITURATING MEMBER AND SAID ANNULAR MEMBER; (C) A PAIR OF AXIALLY ALIGNED CYLINDERS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID ANNULAR MEMBER AND DISPOSED SO THAT THE COMMON AXES OF SAID CYLINDERS PERPENDICULARLY INTERSECTS SAID FIRST AXIS; (D) PISTONS RECIPROCABLY DISPOSED IN SAID CYLINDERS; (E) MEANS TO ROTATE SAID TRITURATING MEMBER; (F) MEANS TO INTRODUCE FINELY DIVIDED MATERIAL INTO SAID CYLINDERS FOR ACTION THEREON BY SAID PISTONS; (G) MEANS OPERATIVELY LINKING SAID PISTONS FOR ALTERNATELY RECIPROCATING SAID PISTONS TOWARD SAID ROTATING TRITURATING MEMBER WHEREBY SAID MATERIAL IS ALTERNATELY COMPRESSED IN SAID CYLINDERS, IS MOVED TOWARD SAID CUTTING EDGES AND THREEBY TRITURATED; AND (H) MEANS TO CONDUCT SAID TRITURATED MATERIAL AWAY FROM SAID ANNULAR SPACE. 